


Circumference

by cassiopea (nina_monk)



Series: Twice the Man I Used to Be [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Belly Kink, Body Image, Body Positivism, Chubby Bruce, Chubby!Bruce - Freeform, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Triggers, Weight Issues, fat acceptance, fat admiration, obesity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-19 21:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1485421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nina_monk/pseuds/cassiopea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony already loved Bruce's mind, but falling for Bruce's body was icing on the cake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Circumference

**Author's Note:**

> An interlude. Occurs a few weeks before _Measurement Theory._
> 
>  **Ht:** 172.75 cm  
>  **CW:** 138.34 kg  
>  **Days in Stark Tower:** 620
> 
> *Heed the tags.*

It took very little to wake him these days. He used to sleep like the dead but after Afghanistan, after Obie, after the Battle of Manhattan...well. The smallest sound or movement would jolt him to full wakefulness, and there really wasn't anything he could do about it. He accepted it as a part of himself now.  


Bruce helped, though. Bruce seemed to instinctively know when a rough patch was coming, even before the calendar days announced their arrival with a vengeance. Whiskey bottles were suspiciously hidden away and the physicist hung around Tony's condo more often "to watch a movie." It took time before the reason for it clicked. Inevitably it forced a chuckle, because Bruce could slip beneath his radar. Not many could lay claim to that.  


Tony's eyes flew open when he heard the quiet grunt of someone  stirring beside him. To his credit his mind only raced for a moment before settling on one word - _ Bruce _ \- and he relaxed, slowly sinking back into the pillow. The world was still dark, maybe before six or seven, but Bruce tended to wake earlier; they normally didn't share the same bed on weekdays except in extenuating circumstances, due to that very fact.  


A small smirk escaped Tony's lips anyway despite his every intention. He liked hearing him wake.  Always.  


Tony chewed his lips in an attempt to halt his full-on grin; the big guy always snorted or sighed or smacked his lips a little before awakening fully. Feigning sleep he listened  as Bruce yawned softly and ran a hand down his scruffy face. Tony watched from under hooded lids, enjoying each moment Bruce came closer to being fully alert: He was positively slothlike when he came online. Each receptor had to fire individually, each part of him booted in sequence. First a yawn or a groan, then a hand down his face followed by a few lip smacks. Then steady blinking and rubbing his eyes. And a small stretch before--  


"Tony," Bruce rumbled. "I know you're awake, you can stop pretending."  


Tony tried not to laugh and failed. "Mornin'," he responded. He shifted a little beneath the covers and propped himself up on an elbow so he could get a better peek. 

Bruce slowly sat up and the sheets slipped, exposing his  sizable body. Tony smiled - an opulent "T" of hair surrounded Bruce's chest like soft meadow grass, and he couldn't help but admire it fondly. Unfortunately, Bruce was still self-conscious and closed the show, folding his arms across his ample stomach to hide it from his lover's hungry eyes.  


 _ We need to work on that,_ Tony thought.  


But seeing half was plenty. His eyes trailed Bruce's thick, hirsute arms and  all-encompassing abdomen before pausing to drink him in. Tony wasn't even sure  _when_ he started enjoying the view more than before, he just knew he did.  "I'm awake," Tony finally agreed. He didn't mention that more of him was awake, downstairs. "You sleep okay?"  


"I should ask you the same question."  Bruce glanced down, his features softened by the extra skin rounding his cheeks and chin. It made him a bit more cherubic, especially with the twinkle in his eyes. "You still look tired."  


Tony had had enough of Bruce hiding his body. He took Bruce's arm and wrapped his fingers in his meaty palm, then traced the fine hairs surrounding Bruce's broad wrists with a thumb. 

A quiet smile pinked his lips. "I slept okay."  


"You sure? You didn't sleep for very long."  


Tony laughed, waggling his eyebrows at Bruce. "Not my fault this time, was it?"  


Bruce's deep chuckle caused the bed to hiccup with him, and Tony shifted so as not to bring attention to his growing need. God, he loved Bruce's deeper voice and how perfectly it matched  his body.  


"No, I guess not. Heh." Bruce shot him a dimpled smile and Tony kissed his hand. Bruce's smile faded a little. "But seriously, Tony. How are you feeling?"  


Tony shrugged and peeled back the covers, choosing to use the rest of Bruce's body as a dodge. He frowned at the way the waistband of Bruce's boxers dug into his sides, leaving red and chafing skin.  _Way too small_ , Tony thought. He made a note to tell Jarvis to buy a size larger -  no,  _two_ sizes larger because he couldn't possibly be comfortable, even one size up. Tony ran a finger along the inside the offending band, hating how it cut like a razor and left weals in Bruce's soft skin.  


"What're you doing?"  


"Sorry," Tony said. He smacked Bruce's massive thigh and admired the man's stomach, rippling in tandem.  


"Yes, I know I have legs the size of sequoias. Thanks for noticing."  


"I like your legs," Tony murmured. He kissed the angry-looking skin on Bruce's hip. "I like all of you."  


"Mm," Bruce hummed. Tony could tell he wasn't convinced. Bruce shifted to the edge of the bed, causing Tony to bounce a little, due to his proximity to Bruce. "I'm gonna make breakfast. Pancakes okay?"  


"Yeah. That's fine." He frowned a little. "I thought you had some big project going on in the lab today."  


"Jacobsen can finish it," he said. Tony marveled as Bruce turned, his hands busily fumbling across the side table for his glasses. The absolute  _wideness_ of Bruce's back suddenly hit Tony, and his cock jumped unexpectedly in response.  


Hm. That was... _ new. _

From behind, it was hard to tell how large Bruce was, apart from his love handles and the width of his back; his stomach was the main culprit but his back hid the truth from view. Tony's eyes roved the expanse of Bruce, reveling in each detail. Each new fold of skin, the larger arms. thicker hips and thighs. Bruce suddenly shifted to grab his glasses, accidentally giving  Tony a new glimpse of his stomach.  


And yes, that belly.  


Oh, yeah.  


He snorted to himself.  


Okay. So maybe he was a  _little_ in lust with Bruce's larger self.   


"Today," Bruce said with a rueful smile. He looked over his shoulder and tilted his glasses down the bridge of his nose. "I feel like giving my guy a little TLC. Jacobsen and the rest can handle the details. I trust him to do it right."  


Tony ignored the meat of Bruce's sentence, choosing to respond to the fluff instead. He rubbed his eye and rolled onto his back. "Jacobsen, huh? Didn't he create a million dollar headache for me last year?"  


"He deserves a second chance. He's learned, and he knows what not to do this time."  


"Mm. Well, you're more forgiving than I am, Banner. Far more forgiving. As long as he doesn't blow up my lab--"  


" _My_ lab."  


"-- _Your_ lab, I'm okay with it."  


Bruce snickered a little and Tony felt his body heat up. "Bill's fine, Tony. He's...a little quirky, but smart."  


Tony had it on the tip of his tongue to be incredibly rude and insensitive, but opted not to. He didn't feel like arguing, at all, didn't feel like diving in too deep. On days like these, lightness was key.  


He sighed dramatically and scooted closer to where Bruce sat. Bruce quirked an eyebrow at him but didn't move, instead choosing to watch his lover inch ever closer. "I changed my mind," Tony murmured, burying his hands into the soft flesh of Bruce's back. Bruce shuddered softly as Tony gently squeezed. "I don't want pancakes."  


"Waffles? French toast?"  


"Hungry for something else right now, Banner. And your cooking won't cut it."  


"Hmm," Bruce hummed. "You're getting between a big man and his food, Tony," he said a little  self-deprecatingly. "Dangerous waters, there."  


"Don't care," Tony said, choosing to snuggle into Bruce's back a little more. He wrapped his arms around as far as they could go, relaxing into the sounds of Bruce's deepening breaths. "Besides, it's temporary. We'll eat later. Plus I'm pretty sure we'll be a  lot  hungrier later, so maybe we should call down and have them deliver. After we're done."  


Bruce tilted his head and offered Tony a small smirk. "I'm hearing a lot of  'we' but I'm thinking it's more 'you.' "  


Tony paused. "Not in the mood?"  


Bruce reached behind and rubbed Tony's arm reassuringly. "No. I am. I'm teasing you."  


He kissed his back. "Only if you want to, Bruce."  


Bruce turned so he could face Tony, and there was desire in his eyes. And a little apprehension, too. "I want to."  


Tony knew why Bruce was hesitant, why he was always hesitant these days. He thought his bigger body was a turn-off. Undesirable .  But Tony wanted to prove to him how very, very wrong he was.  


Especially now that he saw it all in a gorgeous new light.  


"C'mere," Tony commanded, guiding Bruce down further into the covers. He smiled softly as Bruce carefully removed his glasses and returned them to the table and he waited for Bruce to look over at him. "Every part of you is lovely, Bruce. Every damn part. And it's high time I reminded you of it."  


A blush rushed to Bruce's cheeks even as Tony tipped the other man's chin to face him.  _So much in those eyes_ , Tony thought.  _So much unnecessary suffering_. "You're mine," he said softly, before claiming Bruce's lips. "Never forget it."

**Author's Note:**

> Just a brief interlude, since the next installment will be a little uncomfortable and it'll take more time to craft. So in the meantime, enjoy this tidbit!
> 
> And many thanks to my beta, Lia S. for...well, everything. :)


End file.
